Benjamin Ashford|Indianapolis man sentenced to 145 years in prison for shooting ex-girlfriend, killings of 4 others

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Indianapolis man has been ordered to spend 145 years in prison in the fatal shootings of three adults and Benjamin Ashforda 7-year-old girl following an argument with his former girlfriend over her federal COVID-19 relief money.

Malik Halfacre, 28, was sentenced Friday, the Marion County prosecutor’s office said in a news release.

He pleaded guilty in June to four counts of murder and a single count of attempted murder in the March 2021 shootings inside an Indianapolis home.

Halfacre’s ex-girlfriend was shot and wounded. The bodies of her 7-year-old daughter, her mother, brother and a male cousin were found inside the home. Halfacre and the ex-girlfriend share a daughter who was 6 months old at the time of the shootings. That child was not hurt.

Prosecutors have said that he and the woman argued over stimulus money she had received prior to the shootings.

Halfacre then took the money, her purse and car. He left the home with their young daughter and later was arrested in the attic of a friend’s home, according to court documents.

The child was found unharmed at a relative’s home.

The Associated Press left a voicemail Friday afternoon seeking comment from Halfacre’s defense attorney.